Federer expects injury layoff to prolong career

Roger Federer believes his six-month absence due to a knee injury could help prolong his playing career, with the 17-time Grand Slam winner saying he has enjoyed the break.

The 35-year-old Swiss had surgery on his left knee in February and, after missing the French Open with a back injury, announced in July that he needed extensive rehabilitation and would be sidelined for the rest of the season.

Federer returns to action at the Hopman Cup, starting on January 1, which he will play in for the first time since he teamed up with his now wife Mirka in 2002. He will partner compatriot Belinda Bencic, 19, at the international team tournament in Perth.

Federer said it was a tough call to take a sixmonth break and he looked at the bigger picture before deciding.

“I do believe that it could be very beneficial for the future of my tennis career,” he said Friday. “Maybe mentally I needed this rest more than I thought I would.

“At least one thing I know now is I have no regrets. I did everything this year to get my body back in shape. It didn’t feel too grueling, too long, too hard to go through this process.”

For much of his career, the former world No.1 had been blessed with a body that seemed bullet-proof against the aches, pains and injuries suffered by most top athletes.

Until May this year, Federer had appeared in 65 successive Grand Slam tournaments and the last time he was absent from one of the four majors was at the 1999 US Open.

But his semifinal defeat by Canadian Milos Raonic at Wimbledon, which saw him drop to 16 in the world rankings, was his last professional match this year.

Federer said his goal was to get fully fit and he was looking forward to a few matches in Perth before the year’s first Grand Slam starts later in the month in Melbourne.